Of Plot and Pacing
A few disclaimers:
1. I love Star Trek.
2. I love time travel stories
3. I love JJ Abrams
All three of these things have been true for some time. Star Trek goes back to my childhood. This is my father's fault. Time travel was rooted into my psyche with the Back to the Future movies. Probably also my fault. As far as JJ Abrams...well I think I discovered him on my own. I watched ALIAS religiously.
So you'd think the Star Trek movie would be an instant hit for me. And you'd be right!
That said, there were plot holes that you could "drive the enterprise through" as Michael Bourret put it. And he's certainly right. I don't want to get into the details of time-travel theory and what makes that work, but...I think it's safe to say that there were definitely some inconsistencies and unresolved issues with the time-travel story in the movie. Some of this might just come from my intimate knowledge of the Trek universe timeline and maybe this was just JJ diverging from it, but...mostly the past/present/future stuff was pretty darn murky.
Normally this stuff drives me crazy. However, I totally loved the anyway. Why? Because of two things: characterization and storytelling.
The characters were incredible well-drawn, dynamic people. I believed them, their motivations, their actions felt honest, and emotions real. They played off each other well, there was nuance and development and subtlety and gravitas.
The pacing was also perfect. He got an entire story and backstory into a 2 hour window. No scenes felt slow. He didn't linger longer than necessary. He kept the plot moving. Things happened. He upped the ante. Then he upped it again.
Both of these things worked so well, that you can almost ignore those gaping time-travel plot holes. Before you get all mad at me saying if this were a book, this would be rejected because of plot problems, I'm going to argue here that everything else was so skillfully done that this would totally get through.
So, take heed you crafters out there. For the big picture story to work, the small stuff has to work first.
Elana Roth 
Reader Comments (6)
If something is well-crafted enough, and moves fast enough (which Star Trek definitely did) it has to be seen or read more than once for the holes to be a true deterrent. More people than JJ Abrams have had a shot at the time-travel paradox, and will: my favorite will probably always be Time Rider, Michael Nesmith's opus. You're so right, craft and characterization, plot and pacing, are what keeps this kind of thing working in any creative venue, even when there are problems.
Great post!
Interesting post and links into my of today but regarding different films - I used Australia and Easy Virtue. Thanks for your insights :-)
ps I love Star Trek too
Great post. It's so true. there can be holes in a story, but if the characters are strong enough, at least for me, I can look past it.
Oh, and I've heard Star Trek RULES, just haven't seen it yet.
Thanks for this. Have a great day.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm totally looking forward to it. Wendy (my wife) and I wanted to see Wolverine so bad I had to put ST on hold...so many good action flicks out this summer.
I haven't seen Wolverine yet...it's on the short list. I have to say, I'm also really excited about Night at the Museum 2. It looks hilarious. Oh, and I can't forget Harry Potter 6...
I LOVE this post. In so many ways... And now I will take what I've learned and go where no Ghost Girl has gone before...